From Tatler:
Matthew Storey, curator at Historic Royal Palaces, previously told The Telegraph: ‘Mourning dress has been part of European royal culture for centuries, but it reached its peak in the 19th century with the influence of Queen Victoria, who set a standard for the rest of society to follow.’ He added: ‘When her beloved husband died in 1861 she abandoned the colourful clothes of her married life and, with the rest of the royal court, adopted black clothing as an outward sign of grief. Her subjects duly followed suit, causing a rush on suppliers of mourning fabric up and down the country.’
In 1938, Queen Elizabeth II’s grandmother, the Countess of Strathmore, died just before King George VI and his Queen Consort’s first visit to France. Their trip was postponed for three weeks as the court went into mourning and the Queen’s planned summer looks, full of pastels and florals, were now largely inappropriate.
As a black wardrobe would also not work during a warm July tour, the Queen's couturier, Norman Hartnell, came up with an alternative, known as ‘white mourning’. White, after all, had been the shade of choice by mourning medieval queens including Mary, Queen of Scots who was pictured wearing white frocks after she lost her father-in-law, mother and husband in 1560. Queen Victoria had also been buried in white. Hartnell was able to rather miraculously assemble 30 new white tour outfits in just two weeks.
In February 1952, when King George VI died, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip were in Kenya. Upon hearing the news, the new monarch quickly rushed back to Britain on the royal jet but before she emerged on UK soil, a black dress was swiftly taken onboard for her to change into. Since then, every family member is asked to pack a black outfit in their luggage in case such an incident ever arises again. Elizabeth soon alighted wearing an elegant dark coat, brooch and hat to mark her loss. (Read more.)
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